Council tells Sutton to be messenger girl to PM

Brisbane Council sent a message to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd this week opposing the Federal Government’s super tax on mining – and chose the Opposition leader Shayne Sutton as messenger girl.

A motion carried at Tuesday’s council meeting directed Ms Sutton to “personally convey to the Prime Minister this Council’s deep concerns about the impacts of the Federal Government resources super tax on both the economies of Brisbane and Queensland”.

She was told to report back in two weeks.

LNP councillors Adrian Schrinner and Graham Quirk said Cr Sutton was asked to do the job because of her “repeated claims of a close relationship with the Prime Minister”.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman vowed to take action against the Labor Opposition if it refused to support the council’s motion against the Government’s proposed mining tax.

“If the councillors do not support the motion I will write to every mining company and ask them to inform their employees who are also Brisbane residents that they are not supported by these members of council,” he said.

Cr Newman said the Opposition was out of step with State Labor Premier Anna Bligh, who had threatened “forceful diplomacy” to get amendments to the new tax.

Opposition member Cr Milton Dick said the council’s motion was hypocritical because of its previous requests for federally-funded projects.

“What they are saying is we don’t want the federal government to tax anyone but we demand taxes be spent in Brisbane,” he said.

“Whether we like it or not this administration is asking for money from the Federal Government to prop up its projects, while at the same time wheeling in motions that are nothing more than political attacks on the leader of the opposition. “